Balanced Attack Gets William Penn Back to .500
Canton, Mo.–The Statesmen football team got on top early and cruised late in a 37-16 Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division victory over Culver-Stockton Saturday.
William Penn (4-4, 2-1 North) outgained the Wildcats 413-298, including 216 passing yards and 197 rushing yards. The visitors overcame four turnovers (all interceptions) by coming up with four takeaways of their own (three fumble recoveries, one interception).
After a 35-yard return by ODarius King (Fr., Tampa, Fla., Business Management) on the opening kickoff, the Statesmen used over five minutes to march 59 yards in 10 plays to go on top 7-0. Keegan Simmons (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Elementary Education) capped the possession with a four-yard touchdown rush.
WPU’s defense stood tall and returned the pigskin right back to the offense which pushed into the C-SC redzone before finally settling for 20-yard field goal by Ethan Olivas (Jr., Eddyville, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering).
Culver-Stockton (1-8, 0-3 North) answered with a field goal of its own and then both teams struggled with sloppy play.
After a William Penn punt, Donavin Brewer (So., Marion, Ark., Business Management) forced a Wildcat fumble that was recovered near midfield. David Campbell (So., Miami Gardens, Fla., Sports Management) recovered the loose ball and the Statesmen moved deep into Wildcat territory.
Unfortunately, a Statesmen interception in C-SC’s redzone gave the ball back to the home team, which returned the favor on the next offensive snap. Harlan Plumber (Sr., Bryan, Texas, Exercise Science) forced a fumble and Anthony Massie (Fr., Miami, Fla., Business Management) claimed possession for the navy and gold at the home team’s four-yard line. Plumber paced the defense with 12 tackles and two forced fumbles.
Destynd Loring (So., Charleston, S.C., Sports Management) then extended the Statesmen lead to 17-3 with a four-yard dash at the 9:00 mark of the second stanza. The sophomore was WPU’s offensive star, rushing 17 times for 125 yards.
C-SC closed to within eight at 17-9 on its next drive. Despite tossing another interception, the visiting crew was able to stay on top 17-9 at intermission.
The Wildcats got even closer at 17-16, scoring on just the second play of the second half, but the Statesmen immediately shut the door on any possible upset.
Headlined by a 43-yard run by Loring, WPU took the ensuing kickoff and drove 74 yards on nine plays to achieve some breathing room at 24-16 with 10:04 to go in the third. Simmons, who rushed for 26 yards, crashed in from a yard away for his second score on Saturday.
The Statesmen defense worked its magic and the offense was a mere seven yards from adding to the advantage, but the Wildcats came up with a pick. Just as it happened in the first half, William Penn did not fret for long as Tramon Lias (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) recovered a fumble that was forced by Blaine Morris (Jr., Lucedal, Miss., Nursing) only two plays later.
Backup quarterback Jaris Acklin (So., Mountain View, Mo., Wellness and Recreation) then hooked up with Amir Everett (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Sports Management) for a 17-yard scoring pass with 11:39 remaining in regulation. Everett tallied a team-high 52 receiving yards.
Following William Penn’s fourth takeaway of the day (interception by Lias), Acklin put an exclamation point on the victory by finding Damian Tanelus (Sr., Miami, Fla., Exercise Science) from 16 yards out for the final points of the afternoon with 2:13 left on the clock. It was one of two catches for Tanelus who ended up with 38 yards.
Acklin completed six of his eight passes for 107 yards, while starter Sterling Ramsey II (So., Broken Arrow, Okla., Business Management), who left the game due to injury, was 12-for-28 for 109 yards. The duo had nine different receivers in the victory.
Although he did not score, Chauncey Andrews (Jr., Tulsa, Okla., Psychology) was also instrumental offensively with 63 rushing yards on 10 carries.
“This was a solid win in all three phases,” Head Coach Marc Benavidez said. “Our guys were road warriors this year by going 4-1. We are excited to finish out the season these next two weeks in Oskaloosa.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa to host Grand View in Heart North play at 1 p.m.
